


Unfaithful

by Purple_ducky00



Series: Ducky's Avenger fics [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Cheating, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Platonic Soulmates, no happy ending, not team Cap friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 03:24:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15403884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_ducky00/pseuds/Purple_ducky00





	Unfaithful

Bucky’s POV  
When I first saw her, I had just been pardoned by the UN and signed the Accords. Steve and I had arrived at the Avengers compound, and he was showing me around the place. He was annoyed because Stark was apparently “too busy” to welcome us himself, but, to be honest, I don’t blame him. I mean last time we saw each other, Steve had almost killed him. I feel kinda bad for grabbing his leg and tripping him. Man! I was such a coward! Death would have probably been better for me at that time anyways. So… back to the topic. Steve had shown me my floor, rooms, the gym, the communal floor, and whatever else I needed to know.

“Now I’m going to take you to Stark’s workshop. If you ever need help with your arm, come down here. I’m sure he’ll help you.” He tells me. “My code is 1917- just type that in when you need to go in.”

We reach the bottom of the stairs, and Steve types in a code, opening the door. We see Stark working on a boot of an Iron Man suit, while laughing at a girl- woman sitting on his couch, regaling him with a story that was obviously hilarious.

“Ummm… what’s going on down here?” Steve asks loudly.

Stark looks up, kind of startled then nods at the woman jumps up. Is his arc reactor back? We hurt him that bad?

“Oh hi, Rogers, Barnes. I was just telling Tony a story.” Her eyes narrow. “Why are you down here?”

“Do I know you?” Steve asks.

“No you probably don’t.” She crosses her arms and widens her stance.

Tony sighs. “Steve, Bucky, this is Penny. Penny, Steve and Bucky. I met her a little after you guys left, and we became close friends.”

“Like she’s your girlfriend?”

Penny laughs. “Oh no. Hear that Tony? He thinks I’m your girlfriend!” At that Tony laughs, too- a real one, not one of the fake ones we’d been seeing on the news while he worked out the accords. “Didn’t you hear, Captain Stupid? He and Pepper are engaged. Anyways, you didn’t answer my question. Why are you down here? And how did you get in here?”

“I was showing Bucky around the compound.” Steve defensively states. “And I used the code Tony gave me a couple years ago?”

Penny turns to Stark. “Really, loser, you forgot to revoke that?”

Tony grins at her. “You know me. Forgetful.”

She then looks at me. “What about you, Manchurian Candidate? You talk?”

Tony laughs. “That’s what I called him, too!”

“Great minds. So…?” She looks at me, waiting for an answer.

“Yea I talk.” I reply. “Was just enjoying the show.”

“So whattya think?”

“Of you? You’re… energetic. Of the workshop? It’s pretty awesome. Of the Compound? It’s huge. Thank you, Stark. I really don’t deserve…”

Stark waves his hand, cutting me off. “Yea you do. You went through so much crap, you should get pampered for a little while.” He then gives a little cry. “Aha! Penny, come here! I got it!”

She runs over, and they basically dismiss us, looking at some little piece of the boot, commenting in low voices. Steve and I look at each other then turn and leave.

“I don’t know if I like her…” Steve grumbles. “She’s like a second Stark.”

I shrug. Steve can be a little overbearing sometimes, and if I disagreed with him on this, he’d probably get all sad and quiet like he did before because I’m not “the same” as I used to be. But I like her! She seems like she’d be a lot of fun unlike some people I’ve met recently.  
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
“So that’s what Steve Rogers is like?” I ask Tony as the two old men leave. “Wow.”

He snickers. “Yea. That’s a word for it. Not a fan huh?”

“But Frosty? He seems to hold promise.”

“Ehh. I don’t know. Not if he just follows his old pal about like that. Last thing I need is another Cap worshipper.”

“Yea.” I turn off his screens. At his cry of indignation, I tell him. “Let’s go. Supper time.”

“You’re not the boss of me.”

“You’re eating.”

“But I just got this thing to work…” He complains.

“Good. You did it! Let’s go. Isn’t it… movie night? And I get to pick.” I drag him out of the workshop. “FRIDAY, please lock up.”  
++++++++++++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
As we make our way to the dining room, I overhear Steve ask. “So he just brought her here one day?”

Rhodey, oh how I love him, replies. “Yes. It’s his place. Why does it matter?”

“Supper time?” I make a show of opening the door. “Whatcha make Rhodey?”

“Chicken parm. Left yours plain.”

“Oh, you are the greatest! How can I show my love for you!” I plant a kiss on his cheek.

“Ahh please. Just sit down and eat.” He grumbles. I salute and sit down, Tony beside me.

“So tonight’s movie night,” Vision speaks up. “Ms. Penny, did you pick the movie you wanted yet?”

I grin. “Well, because I’m teaching Peter the awesomeness of Shakespeare, and it’ll be fun to annoy Sam, I’m going with 10 Things I Hate About You.”

Sam goes, “Nooooooo! Not another Romcom!”

“Hey Wilson, they’re not too bad. And Heath Ledger…” Rhodes pretends to faint. “Sooo dreamy.”  
+++++++++++++++++++  
After dinner, Barnes gets up to leave.

“Hey, where are you going? It’s movie night!” I call out to him.

“I- it’s something you guys do. I don’t need to be there.”

“Nah. You’re staying. Come sit back down.”

Steve jumps to his defense. “He doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to, you know.”

“Cap, honey, I know, but I can see that he kind of wants to but doesn’t know if he’s welcome. Well, I’m welcoming him.”

“In her own sweet way.” Tony quips.

I pinch him and stick my tongue out. “You know you love me.” He raises his hands in defeat.

Steve looks at us sharply, then turns to Bucky. “Buck? You want to?”

He shrugs. “If it’s ok with the rest of them.”

“It’s gonna be- cuz you’re staying.” I speak up. “Those who don’t want you there cleans up supper.”

During the movie, I catch Steve watching Tony and me several times. Every time I would look at him, though, he would look at the screen rather quickly. I mean, I guess I can kinda see why. I had laughed at him for saying we were together, but he’s laying his head on my lap and pulling my head down to tell me something- as to not annoy the others around us. I’m a very affectionate person to my friends, but not to the point of intimacy- and that’s what Steve is having trouble figuring out.

“I can’t take my eyes off of youu…” Tony and I sing as Heath Ledger prances around in the grandstands. He is sitting up now, and we’re dramatically singing. Most of them are too used to this to react, but Rhodey and Sam roll their eyes after glancing at us, Peter laughs, Steve just stares, and shocker- Mr. Frosty beside me starts laughing.

“You guys…” He mutters then turns back to the screen.

When the song’s over, Tony lies back down. He’d had a looong day in the lab and needs rest. And when I say looong day, I mean 3 days. Pepper walks in at the prom scene.

“Pepper!” I yell. “FRIDAY- pause. Come on, just in time for the good part. Sit down!”

She laughs and pushes Tony’s feet to the floor, sits down, then puts his feet back across her lap. “Rough day, huh?” She asks him.

“Hmm.” He sits up and kisses her, then lays back down. “FRIDAY- unpause.”  
+++++++++++++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
Stupid Steve. Does she really need a reason to be here? It’s Tony’s house, he can do what he wants in it.

“So he just brought her here one day?” Steve asks.

“Yes. It’s his place. Why does it matter?” Rhodey replies coolly.

The door bangs open. “Supper time? Whatcha make, Rhodey?” Penny asks. Tony rolls his eyes grinning.

“Chicken parm. Left yours plain.” Rhodey’s face softens.

Her face lights up, and she kisses him loudly on the cheek. “Oh you are the greatest! How can I show my love for you?”

Rhodes grumbles, “Ahh please. Just sit down and eat.” She salutes, then sits down. Stark sits down beside her.

We eat dinner in silence until Vision speaks up. “So tonight’s movie night. Ms. Penny, did you pick the movie you wanted yet?”

She smiles delightedly. “Well, because I’m teaching Peter the awesomeness of Shakespeare, and it’ll be fun to annoy Sam, I’m going with 10 Things I Hate About You.”

Sam goes, “Nooooooo! Not another Romcom!”

“Hey Wilson, they’re not too bad. And Heath Ledger…” Rhodes pretends to faint. “Sooo dreamy.”

After dinner, I get up to leave. Apparently, they’re used to doing this together, and I’d feel like an intruder.

“Hey, where are you going? It’s movie night!” Penny calls after me.

“I- it’s something you guys do. I don’t need to be there.”

“Nah. You’re staying. Come sit back down.”

Steve jumps to my defense. “He doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to, you know.”

“Cap, honey, I know, but I can see that he kind of wants to but doesn’t know if he’s welcome. Well, I’m welcoming him.”

“In her own sweet way.” Tony quips.

She pinches him and sticks her tongue out. “You know you love me.” He raises his hands in defeat.

Steve looks at them sharply, then turns to me. “Buck? You want to?”

I shrug. “If it’s ok with the rest of them.”

“It’s gonna be- cuz you’re staying.” Penny speaks up. “Those who don’t want you there cleans up supper.”

I sit beside her for the movie, Stark on the other side. She confuses me a little- not that I don’t believe her, but she and Stark haven’t left each others’ sides all night. Now he’s laying his head down on her lap and pulling her head down to whisper something to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Steve glaring at them.

Suddenly Stark sits up, and he and Penny start singing the song that’s on very dramatically, waving their arms around. Mostly everyone doesn’t even react, but Wilson and Rhodes roll their eyes and Parker starts to laugh. I chuckle and mumble “you guys” before refocusing on the movie. It doesn’t make much sense to me, just a lot of silly romance, but I guess that’s what movies are for.

  
Pepper walks in a few minutes later. She isn’t even fazed by the slight intimacy between Penny and Stark. At Penny’s beck, she sits down under Stark. “Rough day?” She asks him.

“Hmm.” He replies before sitting up to kiss her.  
++++++++++++++  
This morning, I wake up to a loud argument.

“I’m telling you! You can’t go in there. It’s my house, and even I can’t!” Stark is yelling, standing out front of the entertainment room.

“Can’t or won’t?” Clint smirks.

“It’s a girls day in there, and unless you want a stiletto heel to the eye, you don’t wanna go in there.”

“I’m a girl.” Wanda replies. “Why can’t I go in there?”

“Fine. It’s a Penny/Pepper day. No one disturbs them. No one.”

“Move Stark. I’m going in. I left my book in there.” Steve pushes him out of the way and opens the door, ducking just in time for a stiletto to miss his head. “Hey. What the-”

“Leave or the next one’s coming!” Pepper calls. “And I won’t miss!”

“Told ya.” Stark smirks.

“What are they doing in there?” Sam asks.

Stark shrugs. “No idea. Again. I’m not allowed in there. Now see ya.” He walks towards the elevator.

Clint smirks. “I’m going to check in the vents. I just want to know what they’re doing.”

I shrug. “Why does it matter? They’re probably watching RomComs and eating ice cream and whatever else girls do together at like a sleepover or whatever.”

Clint sneers. “It’s Pepper Potts and Penny. Do you really think that’s what they’re doing?”

“Probably planning to take over the world.” Rhodes speaks up absentmindedly from the couch. “And they could.”

“I don’t want to live in a world where Penny is a ruler.” Steve mutters and leaves.

Clint re-appears in a few minutes. “They have the vents covered over! That’s not fair.”

I laugh and walk away. Breakfast sounds good.  
+++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
“Why does it matter? They’re probably watching RomComs and eating ice cream and whatever else girls do together at like a sleepover or whatever.” Barnes says.

Clint scoffs. “It’s Pepper Potts and Penny. Do you really think that’s what they’re doing?”

Rhodey calls from further away, “Probably planning to take over the world. And they could.”

“I don’t want to live in a world where Penny is a ruler.” Steve mutters.

Pepper raises her eyebrows. “Wow. What did you do to make him hate you?”

“Quite honestly, I don’t know. Maybe he thought I was flirting with Barnes when I first met him?” I shrug.

“Were you?”

“No! I called him Frosty and Manchurian Candidate because I sure wasn’t calling him ‘Bucky’! Like really, what kind of name is that?”

Pepper laughs. “So do we watch a romcom or plan world domination?”

“Too tired to plan. Romcom first.” We end up watching Miss Congeniality.  
+++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
Yawning, I walk towards the elevator on the communal floor to get to my floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a mass huddled in the corner. It’s Barnes.

“Hey you ok?” I walk over to him.

He looks at me wildly, clutching his chest. Looks like a panic attack.

“Uh. Name three things in the room you can…” I squat in front of him.

“Uh! Uh!” He shakes his head, gesturing wildly with one hand.

“Do you want me to get Rogers?” I don’t know what to do. I know Tony likes to hold onto someone with his hand, but most people don’t like being touched.

He grunts and wraps his arms around me, pushing me backwards. Luckily the wall is right behind me, so I lean on the wall and steady my breathing. Little by little, his breathing slows down and steadies. Then he lets go as if he was burned.

“Oh crap!! I’m sorry. You didn’t have to…” His face was turning red.

“Hey. Barnes. It’s ok. You’re ok. I’m glad I could help out.”

He moves as if to get up, hesitates, then sits back down. “Thank you.” He tells me. “I appreciate it. And I’m sorry, I just don’t like the words thing, I feel like I’m being forced to do it. And I guess, they told me I was kinda…” his face heats up again, “touch-starved from all my years with Hydra. That’s why I cling. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault! Hydra did all this crap to you- you didn’t choose it! I understand. And I’d be glad to help if you ever need it…” I stand up, help him up, and open my arms for a hug.

He hesitantly gives me one and whispers, “Thanks.”

“Buck?” Steve is calling, his voice near.

“Crap. That’s probably my cue to leave. He doesn’t like me much, and I’m far too mentally tired to start an argument with him now. Goodnight!” I hop in the elevator.  
++++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
Can’t… breathe. Falling. Pain. I clutch my chest, trying to will myself to breathe. I start shaking.

“Hey, you ok?” Someone asks. I look up. It’s Penny. When I don’t answer, she squats down in front of me and goes, “Uhhh. Name three things you can…”

No! No! I can’t do it! “Uh-uh!” I try to say, shaking my head and waving my hand.

“Umm. Do you want me to get Steve?”

Not enough time. Without thinking, I launch myself at her, wrapping my arms around her ribs, laying my head on her shoulder. She steadies her breathing, and I follow suit. Wait… this is Penny! I pull away. “Oh crap!! Uhh I’m sorry! You didn’t have to…”

“Hey Barnes, it’s ok. You’re ok. I’m glad I could help.”

“Thank you,” I tell her, still feeling a little embarrassed. “I appreciate it. And I’m sorry, I just don’t like the words thing, I feel like I’m being forced to do it. And I guess, they told me I was kinda…” my face heats up again, “touch-starved from all my years with Hydra. That’s why I cling. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault! Hydra did all this crap to you- you didn’t choose it! I understand. And I’d be glad to help if you ever need it…” She stands up, helps me up, and opens her arms for a hug.

I move to hug, but then I hear Steve. “Buck?”

“Crap. That’s probably my cue to leave. He doesn’t like me much, and I’m far too mentally tired to start an argument with him now. Goodnight!” She steps in the elevator.

“Buck?” Steve walks in. “You ok?”

“Yes I’m fine.”

“You sure? I thought I just heard you talking to someone.”

“Yes. I was talking to Penny.”

His eyes narrow. “I'd be careful around her. She could sweet-talk you into doing stuff.”

I laugh. “I'll be fine Steve.”

“Ok… I'm just warning you.” Wow. I thought I could make my own decisions.

++++++++++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV

So Tones has been helping me with bad memories with his BARF technology. Oh yea, we never told you about how he and I met. I had been in Siberia, researching how people lived and stuff. Most people arrived there during Stalin’s rule of the USSR. Being a linguist, I was hired by Harcourt-Brace to gather more information for a new geography book. They didn’t specify which grade they were making it for, so I figured I’d give all I’d learned-the good and bad- and they could decide what they’d wanna use. Anyways, they gave me a five-month period to travel through Siberia to research. The last place I stayed at was a small village called Sadvat. There was a bunker not too far from the village. According to the people I was bunking with, it used to be busy but secretive. Now no one comes in or out. On my last day, I had decided I was going to check it out. We had seen a jet there the day before, but it had left, too.

Nome of the villagers dared to go near it, and I heard more than one of them call me a “foolish American.” Surprisingly, the door was open. I went in, explored the place a bit, saw the cryochambers with people dead in them, and got a little worried. Even for communist Russia, this seemed a bit much. Then seeing signs of a fight, I became more curious. I followed the destruction until I found him-lying on the ground, blue and barely breathing. Running back to the lab, I found a stretcher. Using all my strength- the Iron man suit is heavy!- I put him on it rolled him out of the base to the house I was staying at.

“We have to help him! He’s dying!” I cried.

“Miss. We will try, but it may be already too late. When is your helicopter coming? Try to reach them.”

So it turned out that he hitched a ride to a Moscow hospital with me on the helicopter.

Being I was not any relation to him, they would not let me in his room. One of the doctors suggested that I find someone to tell them. So I called Stark Industries.

“Stark Industries. How can I help you?”

“Hello. My name is Penelope Dixon. May I speak with Ms. Potts, please?” I remembered hearing that they were dating.

The woman’s tone sharpened. “What is the reason for your call?”

“It’s in regards to Mr. Stark.”

“Aww… did he knock you up and now refuse to pay child support because he denies it’s his? Tough. Ms. Potts has better things to deal with.”

“Excuse me? No, I am calling because he’s in the hospital, and I don’t think anyone knows where he is.”

“Hold on. I’ll see if she’s busy.” After a few moments, “She can talk to you for a few minutes. Make it quick.”

“Thank you.”

“Hello. Potts speaking.”

“Hello? Ms. Potts? I am calling in regards to Mr. Stark. He’s in a hospital in Moscow, suffering from severe hypothermia, if not anything else. The doctors won’t tell me anything because I’m not his kin. Now, I don’t usually listen to celebrity gossip, but I heard you two were dating, and you were the only one I knew to try to reach.”

“Oh my gosh.” I heard her gasp. “Thank you for telling me. We were worried- he didn’t tell anyone where he was going. Now, do you have to be somewhere?”

“Other than booking a plane back to the States? No.”

“I will fly out as soon as I can. I will also give you a ride back if you’d like, just… please stay there. What’s the name of the hospital?”

I tell her the name and assure her I’ll stay. Hmm… it’s nice to have people who care for you like that. I close my eyes and fall asleep on the chair….

Yea… so that’s the story if how we met. I stuck around while he went into extensive surgery to put the arc reactor back into his body to keep his sternum from collapsing. Pepper had the company to run, and she told me she thought it would be awkward if she was the first one he woke up to as they had broke up. After officially meeting me after all the drugs wore off, he thanked me and invited me to stay at the compound with them, and we’ve been close ever since. I had seen his struggles while dealing with Ross, going through the Accords, and getting the rest of the team re-instated.

Anyways… back to today. I… have a lot of stuff I’d like to be at peace with, so Tony offered to help me. Bruce returned from Asgard about a month ago, so he offered to help, too. Now, I know that Bruce and Natasha are dating, so I tell him I’d rather he didn’t see this memory. Because… I have met the Widow before, and it wasn’t friendly. How about I just recall the memory…

“You ready Ell?” Tony asks me.

“As I’ll ever be..” I grimace. He starts up the program. I close my eyes, not wanting to see this scene.

“Ell, you can do it. Just… try? I mean, if you don’t want to…”

I start to recall the memory…

There are about 10 soldiers walking mindlessly about. In the center of my memory was Natalia Romanova, the Black Widow. She is smiling, looking around at the fires and dead bodies. A soldier walks over to where my family is huddled together. He pulls my mom, dad, and sister up. In his eyes, I see a deadness. Another soldier pulls me up. He asks the Widow a question, and she answers, gesturing at my family. Then she looks and me, smiles, says something else, and waves her hand. The soldier holds me- I can feel his arms around me- while the other proceeds to shoot my mom, dad, and sister in the head while I watch. I start kicking and screaming, and she only laughs. They tie me up and leave. I was found two days later, my voice gone and hungry. For a long while, people thought I was crazy, saying that no such thing existed. Everyone just thought it was a burglary until the Avengers became well known in 2012.

I open my eyes, gasping. “That was… vivid.”

“Yea, and disconcerting. I can see why you didn’t want Bruce to see it.”

After I calm down, he asks me quietly. “How do you talk to her?”

“For a while, all I could do was find a way to find her and make her pay for it. But… I just… realized that it wasn’t hurting her at all to be mad at her, I was only hurting me. So I… figured to let it go. I still love my family- I don’t think I’m dishonoring them by forgiving her. Why?”

“Because I don’t know how to act around Barnes. Like he was brainwashed- he had no control of his mind! Yet I can still see the video every time I see him! How do you… She wasn’t even…”

I give him a hug. “I’m still kinda uncomfortable around her- most of them just chalk it up to her reputation. She sure doesn’t recognize me, and I just… don’t want to bring up old memories that I’d rather forget.”

He smiles faintly. “Well you’re a much better person than me.”

“Yeaaaaa… I don’t know about that.”

Anyways, so the reason I'm telling you this is that it led to… kind of a disaster? It happened like this- I had just gone up from a session to make dinner (Rhodey, Vision, and I take turns) and Tony was archiving the information. Bruce had come down to help when a certain file caught his eye.

Bruce’s POV  
“What is this?” I mumble to myself as I click the video on. I haven’t seen this one. I am helping Tony archive Penny’s BARF projections. The sight before me is… disconcerting to say the least.

Natasha… she’s just… I mean, I don’t have a whole lot of room to talk, but I feel bad for what I did, not want to force my pain on someone else.

I don’t know if I can even look at her the same. I mean, I know she has tried to redeem herself, so maybe I’ll talk to her about it.  
+++++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
Sooo… after Barnes’ panic attack, he and I became pretty close. What began this friendship was his coming down to the lab and apologizing to Tony for everything he had done to him.

“Tony,” he had said. “I just came down to say I'm sorry for everything I did- your parents, Siberia. I know they can say your parents wasn’t my fault, but I still feel guilty. And Siberia was all me. I honestly don't know what I was thinking then, but I know now I should've just let you kill me. I'm sorry, and I know there's nothing I can do to make it right, but if you ever want to take your frustrations out on me, I won't stop you.”

Tony had just looked at him. Then he replied, slowly, as if he was thinking about what to say, “Barnes. You know I don't hold it against you, right? Even the thing with Siberia- you were in your old home, a place of nightmares. I can see why you'd wanna get of there alive. And my parents, if Rogers had just told me beforehand, I- I just needed time to let the sting wear off. I'm more upset with him than anyone. But you can see why I wouldn't want to spend time with him… I kind of feel like he betrayed me.”

Barnes hung his head. “Yea I understand. Thank you? I guess, for forgiving me. It still doesn't feel right for you to do that tho.”

“No problem, Barnes. You better work on believing it- cause I'm not retracting.”

“Thanks.” Barnes smiled quickly at him then turned to me. “Oh, and thank you for helping me with my panic attack. Most people would've just left me alone cause they wouldn't know how I’d react.”

“No problem, Skywalker. I would’ve done it for anyone.”

He grinned slightly at my ‘Skywalker.’ “Do you always call people by nicknames? Or do you ever use real names?”

“Well, I'm definitely not calling you ‘Bucky.’ Do you want me to sound like an idiot?”

“What about James, then? Not that I mind the nicknames.” He was quick to add.

“Aye aye. It’s James then.” I replied, saluting.

Soooo…. Back to the now. Why I’m telling you this is because last night… we went on a date! And I know it might mean something because we did it secretly. I think Tony’s the only other one who knows. James is a lot of fun, he’s smoking hot, and we have a lot of the same likes and dislikes. Tones commented that he’s never seen me as happy. And I told him the same thing back- he and Pepper are meant for each other.  
++++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
So I guess you heard- Penny and I are dating now. And, yea, I asked her if we could keep it secret right now because a lot of them dislike her. Like l, you shoulda heard Steve last week when he caught Pepper in the communal areas.

“Pepper. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

She hesitates. “Yes, Steve, I have a few minutes to spare.”

“Well I was just wondering about Penny… She doesn’t affiliate with the Avengers- why is she here?”

Pepper bristles. “This is Tony’s building. He can let whomever we wants live here.”

Clint smirks. “So you don’t like it either. Just letting you know, they're super close. I can’t say I’ve ever seen them, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were going at it behind your back.”

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. What they don't know…

“Yea I honestly don't think so.” Pepper’s eyes snap. “Do you want to know why? First of all, she’s the closest thing to a best friend that I ever had. Also, she got Tony and me back together. Without her, we both would probably have ended up alone. Oh, and tidbit, the reason I really know they aren’t? Because they tried to date for a little while, and there was nothing. So if you will excuse me…”

“Pepper!” Penny crows when she walks into the room. “I thought you were coming back next week!”

“Well, I was supposed to, but the merger was simple.”

“Ahhh. Your beloved is in the lab, if I’d have known you were coming, I’d have made him get a shower.”

“Would he have listened? No. FRIDAY, don’t tell him I’m here. I want to scare him.”

“Yes. Ms. Potts.”

We watch her walk down towards the lab, obviously annoyed.

“James! Jamie! Jamifer!” Penny turns to me. “Remember how I told you about that recipe? I’m making it for supper if you wanna help.” She grins.

“James?” Steve sneers. “His name is Bucky.”

“Technically, Captain Idiot, his name is James. He’s not a 5yr old.” She smirks.

“No one calls him James.”

“I do. You coming?” She asks me

“Sure.”

Thankfully, no one follows us out to the kitchen, or our “secret dating” wouldn’t be so secret now.

“Jamifer?” I ask, putting my arms around her and nuzzling her neck.

“Don’t judge. It sounded good in my head. And if you keep pressing it, that’s what I’m calling you forever. Now get off me so I can start cooking. Imagine if we got married.” She giggles. “ ‘I, Penelope, take thee, Jamifer…’” I roll my eyes.

She teaches me how to make Alice Springs chicken. It was… amazing.  
++++++++++++++++++  
_Story of my life, searching for the right, but it keeps avoiding me. Sorrow in my soul because it seems like wrong really loves my company. He (she’s) more than a man (woman), this is more than love, the reason that the sky is blue. The clouds are rolling in because I’m gone again, and to him (her) I just can’t be true._

Bucky’s POV  
I can’t believe I actually did that. I just… I didn’t mean to. Natalia had just come up and… we started talking about our…. Our past. Then she got all weepy and sensual, and I… We slept together. Now how do I tell Penny?

“This was a mistake.” I sit up. “We can never do this again.”

Natasha wraps her arms around my waist. “Yasha, but why is it a mistake? Please stay.” There is hurt in her eyes when I look down at her.

“Natalia…” I lie back down. What am I supposed to do?

When she falls asleep, I get up and leave her room, feeling guilty. Thank God no one saw me.  
+++++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
Bucky didn’t come to bed tonight. Well, he doesn’t always so I didn’t think anything was wrong. But I woke up around 1:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep. At around 2, I decided to get up and see if Tony was up. As I leave my room, I see Bucky silently leaving Natasha’s room. My heart sinks, but I sand there quietly as he looks around, then walks to his room. I think maybe he was just talking to her. Maybe they were just reminiscing… but my gut tells me that he’s cheating on me.

Tony’s not in his lab (thankfully), so I go to the kitchen. I know where Tony used to keep his scotch before he gave up alcohol. Maybe there’s still some left. Yes. There is. I pull a bottle out and pour myself a glass. I know I shouldn’t, but I need it. I sit there drinking until Tony wanders down around 6.

“Els? What are you doing? You ok?”

“Mornin.” I grin blearily. “Yea. Yeaa. I’m fiine.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“No. Not really.”

“Well just… let me know if you wanna talk.”

“Thanks, Tones.”

I get up and go to my room before any of the others see me. This is a conversation I don't want to have.  
+++++++++++  
At supper, there is an argument about the Accords. “Team Cap” was still complaining about how “stupid and unfair” they were. Because I’m not an Avenger, I stayed quiet for a while, but very quickly grew tired of the whining.

“Ok. Shut up.” I say loudly. They all look at me. “ Wanna know why the Accords are necessary? Just imagine this… you are at the mall, just living your life. Then people attack you because they are against you. I mean, the police come, and they stop your attackers, but several people are killed, including your brother, sister, best friend, et cetera, and the cops do nothing about it or the mess they left in their wake. They just leave the bodies of your attackers and congratulate each other on the “win.” Except to you, it doesn’t feel like a win. You lost your loved one, maybe your whole life, reason for living. Oh and then, what if, the cops come into your home, fighting a personal battle, one that you had absolutely nothing to do with. But they come in anyways, trash your place, and inadvertently kill a few people while their at it. Oh, and then, what if your friend helps the cops, has their face plastered in the news, and is now on the bad guys’ hit list. Now doesn’t that seem like the cops have a little too much free reign? You see, I’m speaking from experience. At age 10, I was forced to watch my family get shot at point-blank range. Then I was left tied to a bed until the cops came. No I ne believed me when I said what I saw. I was just a hysterical girl with illusions. I spent two years in a mental hospital after that. That alone should have certain people under control of a board…”

Natasha stands up. “I was brainwashed!”

“I’m sorry, Natasha, but you weren’t.” Bruce says sadly. “Everyone else around you was.”

“Her memory is screwed.”

“Yeaaa. No it’s not. Sometimes, that’s the only thing I can rely on to be right.” I reply. “ Anyways, I was then in New York about, like 6 years ago. My best friend and I. A beam refracted from dear old Captain American’ts shield hit her, and she died instantly. Now I understood. The Chitauri needed to be taken care of. So I stayed there with her, watching the rest of the battle in the splash zone. I saw Tony carry the nuke into space, heard Rogers tell Natasha to close the portal, and when it was all over, no one came over to see if I was alright. Again, I wasn’t the only one who lost something during that battle, but the only one who tried to help the city out after the attack was Tony. He paid for cleanup and many funerals. The rest of you just went on your merry way. My uncle worked at SHEILD. A building collapsed on him because no one thought to get the cooks out of the cafeteria. My other best friend was a SHIELD agent. Guess what? She was killed. In cold blood. Because a different agent killed her murderer’s parents. She had nothing to do with it, but since all SHEILD agents’ records were on the Internet for everyone to see, and most of them weren’t protected in a tower, they became sitting ducks for anyone with an agenda. But no one made any move to protect them. And me, although it hurts sometimes, I don’t hold it against you, but your “Civil War”, why did it happen? Because someone was getting revenge on you guys for killing their family and not doing anything about it. Wanda, not to call you out or anything, but why weren’t you for the Accords? I mean, your parents and brother died because of superheroes having free reign. Or do you just love the power? Another thing, Rogers, this Accords thing isn’t like HYDRA or SHEILD. It was 117 countries saying “You need to be overseen.” They weren’t out to get you or end you. They were putting the protection of their people and country first. How arrogant are you to think that your opinion is superior? Sam, what even was your reason for not signing? “Captain America didn’t so I won’t?”” I mimic in a high voice, mocking him. “Clint, you retired. Why the heck did you not stay there? I’m sure your wife loved that. And Lang, you’re just… pathetic- I’m not even going there. So do really not see why the Accords are necessary?”

“But what about Spiderman?” Rogers volunteered. “He was just a kid, and Tony took him into a battle.”

I nod at Tony, giving him the floor. “Steve. It wasn’t supposed to be a battle. If it was, I wouldn’t have needed any of them. You know what my suit can do. Could’ve had you all dead within a half-hour, but I didn’t want to kill you. Even in Siberia although… I brought him to stay on the outside and web you guys up. And you dropped a airport ramp on him. Knowing he was a kid, and not knowing he had a superpower. What if you’d killed him? The only thing I did wrong there was not ask his guardian for permission to take him. And he wouldn’t have let me if I tried.”

“Wait. What happened in Siberia?” Sam asks.

I turn to Rogers, eyes burning. “You didn’t tell them?”

He swallows. “No. I felt like they didn’t need to know. I wasn’t proud of how it turned out.”

I laugh humorlessly. “I see. No one can see anything but your greatest hits, but you’re perfectly fine dwelling on all of Tony’s mistakes. How many times this month did you blame him for Ultron? I’m pretty sure he’s not proud of that. Also, was he the only one who created Ultron? Was he really? Or is he just the scapegoat for everything?”

“It was my fault” Wands replies. “I messed with his mind, and I let him take the scepter. I knew what he was going to do with it.”

“And I helped him with research.” Bruce puts in. “The mind stone used his fear and anxiety against him.”

“So what happened in Siberia?” Sam asks again.

“Do you want Friday to play the clip? Or do you want us to explain it?” I ask Tony.

He’s breathing heavily. “I’d rather it just… Friday can play it. I’ll be in the kitchen.” He gets up and walks to the kitchen. Rhodey follows. He’s already seen it.

“Friday, roll clip.”

She projects an image on the wall. You see the Hydra base, walking in, then you see Rogers and James in a defensive position. Tony says “You seem defensive.” Then Rogers “Well, it’s been a long day.” The feed ends with Rogers leaving, carrying James, then to the ceiling of the base.

“That’s where I found him, two days later, almost dead of hypothermia.”

James hangs his head. “Shoulda let him just kill me.”

My eyes soften. “He wasn’t trying to kill you, or you’d be dead. He just wanted to hurt Rogers, and going after you was the best way. Rogers should have just told him the truth before then. He doesn’t deserve to decide what people should and shouldn’t know. Ya get me?” I glare at Rogers. “What happened to ‘Sometimes my teammates don’t tell me things’? You hypocrite.” I storm out into the kitchen where Tony is clinging to Rhodey. “C’mere Tones, let’s go.” I take him up to his room. “You need sleep.”

Bucky comes to bed tonight, and I just let him. I hate myself for it, but I don’t want to go without him.  
++++++++++++  
_And I know that he (she) knows I’m unfaithful, and it kills him (her) inside to know that I am happy with some other guy (girl). And I can see him (her) dying. I don’t wanna do this anymore. I don’t wanna be the reason why. Anytime I walk out the door, I see him (her) die a little more inside. And I don’t wanna do this anymore, I don’t wanna do this anymore; I don’t wanna take away his (her) life. I don’t wanna be a murderer._  
Bucky’s POV  
Yea. I am officially a jerk. And a terrible person. I have been sleeping with Natalia every time she asks me to… And what’s worse- I think Penny knows. She seems a little… withdrawn whenever she’s around me. I should just tell Natasha no because if I had to choose, I would choose Penny. She means the most to me. Makes me think of that song she listens to- Bed of Roses?  
“I wanna lay you down on a bed of roses, and I’m gonna sleep on a bed of nails. I wanna be just as close as the Holy Ghost is and lay you down on a bed of roses.” There’s also a part that says. “As you close your eyes, know I’ve been thinking about you, but my mistress, she calls me to stand in her spotlight again. And tonight, I won’t be alone, but that’s not to say I’m not lonely. I’ve got nothing to prove, but it’s you that I’d die to give breath.”

I just… don’t know what it is, it’s just hard to resist Natasha when she’s like that.  
+++++++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
“Well. It’s official. James is cheating on me.” I slump on my chair.

Tony looks at me angrily. “Then dump his sorry butt!”

“I don’t think… I can do that…” I mumble.

“What do you mean? I’d think with your history…”

“Because I rely on him! I don’t know what would happen to me if he just left!!! And yea, I know it’s pathetic, and loser-ish, but other than you, he’s… Thor’s rarely ever around, and you’re getting married. And I’m, I’m dependent on people. I can’t do it alone. But if you wanna judge me and make me feel worse about myself, go ahead!” I interrupt. “I know. I shouldn’t feel like this, but…”

Tony wraps me up in a hug. “Ellie, you know I don’t think you’re pathetic. Cuz if you are, what am I?” He scoffs. “You’re strong – you’ll get through it, no matter what happens. I know it. And no matter how many years I’m married and how many kids I may never have, I’ll always have time for you.”

I sniff. “Yea. Yea. I know. It’s just… so hard to not pick up a bottle…”

“Welcome to the club, darling.”  
+++++++++++++++  
_I feel it in the air as I’m doing my hair, preparing for another day. A kiss upon my cheek, as he (she) reluctantly asks if I will be out late. I say I won’t be long-just hanging with the girls (guys)- a lie I didn’t have to tell. Because we both know where I’m about to go, and he (she) knows it very well. And I know that he (she) knows I’m unfaithful, and it kills him (her) inside to know that I am happy with some other guy (girl). And I can see him (her) dying. I don’t wanna do this anymore. I don’t wanna be the reason why. Anytime I walk out the door, I see him (her) die a little more inside. And I don’t wanna do this anymore, I don’t wanna do this anymore; I don’t wanna take away his (her) life. I don’t wanna be a murderer_.  
Bucky’s POV  
Crap! It’s 6 am! Must’ve fell asleep. I hop up, and Penny sits up with me, rubbing her eyes.

“Hey,” She says, laying her hand on my arm. “You  
ok?”

No. No I’m not. “Yea, I’m fine.” I tell her.

She looks like she wants to say something, but changes her mind. Then she goes, “Will you be here tonight?”

“I don’t know. I’m going out with Steve and Sam tonight, but I’ll see.”

“Okay…” But I can see in her eyes that she knows I’m lying.

When I get to the communal kitchen, there’s someone there I never saw before. Tall, well-built, with short blonde hair.

“Hello.” I say. I figure this is Thor, as he seems at home.

“Hello. You must be Barnes. I’m Thor.” He reaches out to shake my hand.

“Yea. That’s me.” I smile.

“Thor!!!” I hear a loud squeal. His face lights up. He moves to the side so he can catch a blur that leaps into his arms.

“Penny! How are you?” He squeezes her tightly.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I gave you a phone!”

“It’s uhhh… broken. My electricity fried it…” He looks sheepish.

She laughs- it’s a beautiful sound. “Next project for the Tones. Build a anti-electric, anti-crush phone. Come next week- it’ll be done. Voila! The Thor-phone!!”

“Offering out my time again?” Stark’s amused voice comes from the hallway. “Sup Point Break. Barnes.” His voice grows a little chilly when he says my name. Does he know?

“Tony! It’s great to see you!”

“Thought you’d be coming soon,” Stark grins. “Stocked up on Pop Tarts for ya.”

“Thank you.”

“Thor, is that you?” Steve walks in. “Nice hair.”

“Yes. Alas it was cut off before my battle with Banner.”

“What!?! You had to fight Banner??” Steve asks.

“Yes. That’s right. You were still unpardoned when I told the story. I will regale you after we break the fast.” It’s kind of funny how he switches from modern and old English.

“Wait! Before that, I have to show you something!” Penny drags him out of the kitchen. He laughs and follows her.

Natalia walks in after they leave and wraps her arms around me and kisses me flush on the lips. Tony glares at me, then turns away. Steve grins – he’s been pushing for this.

“Finally!” He says. “When did this happen?”

“About a month ago.” Natalia tells him sweetly. “We were… reminiscing.”

“Congratulations!!” Steve exclaims. “I hope for the best!”

Stark clears his throat, glaring at me. “Alright. See you later. Got to start working on the Thor-phone.”

“Tony. Aren’t you happy for them? Natasha doesn’t have to like Bruce, you know.”

Stark smiles his press smile. “Yes, I know, idiot. I just don’t care.” That was a lie. And I know it.  
+++++++++++++++++++  
_My love, his (her) trust. I might as well take a gun and put it to his (her) head. And I don’t wanna do that._

Penny’s POV  
As Thor and I go out, Natasha walks in. I turn to see what she does and immediately regret it. She hugs him and plants a kiss on his lips. And he does nothing to stop her. I work to keep my shoulders from slumping, and thankfully, Thor doesn’t notice.

“What did you have to show me?” I start speaking to him in the original Norse tongue.

“Wonderful! How on earth did you learn that?” He asks.

“Self-taught. Found some old books in Norse mythology, and I wanted the real story.”

“Well, I am proud of you. I have a question. Barnes – do you know he likes you?”

“Huh.” I snort. If only he knew the story. I’m just afraid Thor will confront him.

“I know you think it odd every time a man likes you, but I tell you, I am sure of it.”

“Thanks, Electro,” I hug him, “but none of them compare to you.”

“Now you’re joking.” He smiles. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

Thor is the best. We head back to the kitchen, where he claims a huge stack of pancakes. Natasha has her head on James’ shoulder, and he refuses to look at me. I don’t want to be here right now.

“Where’d Tony go?” I ask.

“To his lab. Where else?” Wanda replies.

“Peace out, losers!” I throw up a peace sign as I leave.

“FRIDAY, can I have video feed on the kitchen?” I pull out my tablet.

The members are crowding around James and Natasha. “For I while I thought it would be you and Penny.” Sam says.

“Thank God it’s not.” Steve replies.

Clint agrees. “Besides, no matter what Pepper says, I think she and Tony are going at it. I’m going to catch them sometimes while I’m in the vents.”

I roll my eyes. If I wasn’t so hurt about James, I’d laugh.

“There is nothing between Barnes and Penny?” Thor asks. “I thought I’d seen something…”

They all turn to James, who turns red and opens his mouth, but Natasha beats him to it. “Don’t put him on the spot! Of course he didn’t! She was flirting with someone way out of her league, and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Besides, he knows the consequences if he cheats on me.” She playfully glares at him. He raises an eyebrow in amusement- as if he knew he could take it. I guess I didn’t mean that much to him.

When I get to the lab, Tony immediately knows something’s wrong. “Ellie. What’s the matter?”

I sniff and hand him the tablet, having FRIDAY replay what I just saw. “He didn’t even try to deny it. I obviously don’t mean that much…” My breath hitches. “But I can’t just let him go.”

“You’ll be fine. You know what? Steve thought I was upset because Nat wasn’t dating Bruce anymore.”

“Why did they break up? I never heard the reason.”

“I honestly don’t know. I guess they realized it just wouldn’t work.”

“No. It’s because I broke up with her.” Bruce walks in. “I… have a confession. I saw that memory of yours that you didn’t want me to. I was going through files, and it came on… and I couldn’t stop watching. I mean, the other guy did some terrible things, but that… I just couldn’t look at her the same way after that.”

“And she blames Penny, so she…” Tony snaps his fingers.

It’s not that hard to draw the connection. “And James fell right into her web.”  
++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
T’Challa and his younger sister Shuri came over for a visit. She’s the one who built my arm and helped me with my Hydra programming. I kinda feel like she’s my little sister or something. Everyone expected her and that Parker kid to hit it off, but what surprised many people was how quickly she took to Penny. I think it was after Shuri randomly yelled, “The floor is lava!” in the communal kitchen. We all looked at her like she was nuts, but she, T’Challa, Penny, and Peter hopped up on counters and the table. Stark looked at them confusedly at first, then realizing what was happening, climbed up into the sink.

Steve shifts uncomfortably, not knowing what is going on. “Really Tony, T’Challa? You’re putting up with this childish nonsense?”

T’Challa looks at Shuri, who nods. He jumps down, everyone else following him. “You don’t understand. She will let loose the lava. She has done it before.”

Shuri laughs. “I did.” She twists a bead on her bracelet, bringing up a video of the panic on T’Challa’s face when hot, molten material comes inching towards him.

“Shuri!” He is yelling. “Take this stuff away!” The lava inches closer and closer until he is forced to leap up on the desk behind him.

Penny throws back her head and laughs. “I take it you get trolled a lot?” She asks T’Challa.

“Waayy more than he’d admit.” Shuri giggles. “It’s too easy. You’re Penny, right? Peter told me about you.”

“All good things I hope.” She grins.

“Yes. Peter liiiikes you.” She singsongs, looking at Peter, who turns bright red.

“No I do not!” He vehemently denies. “I mean, I don’t dislike you, Penny. I just don’t like-like you.”

“It’s ok. I believe you.” She winks at him. “You know I know who you like. She's cute. How’s Ned, by the way?”

Peter brightens. “He’s coming tomorrow! Shuri, you’re gonna love him.”

She’s just so awesome! Those kids love her. So do I. I have to tell Natalia I’m done. I’m not doing it anymore. I’ll do it tonight.  
++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
Tony and I are talking in the hallway outside of the kitchen when Steve slams the door open and bellows, “Tony! What did you do?”

“I’m not sure, Cap. What are you referring to?”

“I just found Nat. She hasn’t been out of her room in a day, and she’s upset.”

“And you know that I could never break the calm, cool façade that she puts up, so why’s it my fault?”

“What did you threaten to do to Bucky?”

“Again, what? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Tony looks confused.

“Rogers. Whatever happened between James and Natasha, Tone had nothing to do with. He never talks to either of them.” I put in.

“Well Bucky,” Steve puts emphasis on James’ name, “broke up with Nat Monday night, and she’s upset.”

“You’re being played man.” Tony says. “She barely shed a tear when Bruce broke up with her, and they were together for a year or so. Barnes has been dating her for what, a month?”

Steve face darkens with fury. “You know what, Stark?” He says Tony’s name with such bitterness. “Maybe Bucky is just harder to let go of than Bruce. Maybe you just hate Natasha for no reason—”

“That’s enough, Steve.” James is standing in the doorway. “Tony had nothing to do with my decision to break up with Natasha. It’s over and done with. Leave it.” He looks at Steve, then Tony, but doesn’t look at me. I guess he feels a little guilty.

Steve sputters until James levels a glare at him and says, “Enough.” Then he walks away, towards the gym.

I can’t do it anymore. I’m tired of waiting to see what he will do. He knows I’m a tactile person, but we can’t be together outside the bedroom? And Steve keeps blaming Tony for everything. I’ll tell James I’m done tonight and take the blame for it all. Steve can blame me all he wants- I couldn’t care less.  
++++++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
I walk into Penny’s room tonight, ready to explain everything. She’s sitting on her bed, nervously picking at her sheets.

“I thought you’d come tonight.” She says. “I’m sorry. I can’t do it anymore. You know how I am, and you were ashamed to tell everyone of our relationship. I thought, ‘That’s fine. Maybe he’s just a little commitment-shy.’ And then you and Natasha -I have no idea how it happened, nor do I care. And I’m pathetic, I thought I couldn’t live without you so I always held my breath and waited to see what you would do, but then I realized, I already was without you. And I’m still living. And all of that would be fine, but Rogers is bringing Tony into this, and I’m done. Blame me, not him.”

I stand there, openmouthed and speechless. Then my thoughts gather and I reply. “Penny, I came here to explain myself. I-I never like Natalia, she just- I don’t know how she did it, but almost guilt-tripped me into it with stuff from the Red Room. I know, I still did it, and that’s no excuse, but could you give me a second chance?”

“No, I’m sorry, I don’t need my heart broken yet again. I can’t do it. I need you to leave my room.” Her eyes are filling with tears.

“I’m sorry.” I say and walk out. I head straight down to the gym where I effectively take down two punching bags. Leaving them on the ground, I go to my room and sit on the porch in the corner. How could I be so stupid? I put my head in my hands and cry. Steve finds me the next day still sitting there, lost in thought.

“Hey Buck. You ok?” He asks, laying a hand on my shoulder.

“No not really.” I mumble.

“You want to talk about it?”

“No. Just leave me alone. I just need to be alone right now.”

Steve gives me a calculating look, then nods shortly and leaves.  
+++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
After Bucky leaves my room, I go to my kitchen and pull out a bottle of vodka Rhodey gave me for Christmas last year. It was a joke because I never drink vodka unless I want to get hammered. There’s a note on the neck saying, “Here’s hoping I’m never opened.” Well, I’m opening it. And drinking from the bottle.

I wake up again with a hangover. I’ve had one for two months straight, though, so what else is new? I really don’t want to leave my room, but I did promise Vision I’d help him make breakfast today. I will myself out of my chair and get dressed. A T-shirt and tights. Not going classy today.

“Penny, you don’t look like you are feeling too well. Maybe you could use more sleep?” Vision states when I walk into the kitchen. “You do not have to help me today if you are unwell.”

I grin. I don’t mind his lack of tact because I know he’s not trying to be rude. “Always keeping me honest, Vis. It’s ok, just a hangover. What do you want to make today?”

“I was thinking whole wheat Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.”

“No problem. I got this.” I rattle off a list of ingredients we will need as we are making these from scratch.

Clint comes in and whistles. At my wince, he asks, “Rough night?”

“Something like that.” Clint is weird. Sometimes he’s like totally relatable, but then he turns around and becomes the second biggest loser of them all. Rogers is always the biggest. Always.

Rhodey comes in, takes one look at me, and asks, “Vodka?” At my nod, he whispers , “You are telling me later.” I nod again.

One by one they file in, grab a waffle, and load their plates. Tony is the last one in line. He takes one look at me, puts his plate down, and walks around the counter to give me a hug. I bury my face in his neck as he whispers, “You’ll be ok. You’re the strongest person I know.”

I huff a laugh at that, then I straighten and say, “Thanks Tone. I needed that.”

“Yea. I think I’m gonna go lie down. My head hurts a little bit. It’s weird, I kinda feel like I have a hangover, and I haven’t drank for a year.”

That is weird.  
+++++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
Steve comes up again tonight to see how I’m doing, which is not well. He keeps looking at me weirdly til he finally asks, “Penny looked really bad this morning. Did something happen between you two?”

I huff. I am not talking about this right now. I glare at him. “Go away.”

“C’mon Buck. You can talk to me, what happened?”

“Leave me alone.” I turn away from him and ignore him until he gives up and leaves.  
++++++++++++++  
Tony’s POV  
It’s been a week since Penny “broke up” with Bucky, and she’s been miserable ever since. I’ve caught 3 glimpses of Barnes sneaking through the Compound. He doesn’t want to be seen by anyone, not even Rogers. I’ve seen Cap coming out of his room, looking so forlorn. He doesn’t know what to do and who to blame. And I have had a minor migraine, like a minor hangover, for about a week. It’s really weird.  
++++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
So I’m drunk. I haven’t been sober since that night. Pepper and Rhodey know my story. They both threatened to kill James and Natasha, but I staved them off. Apparently James isn’t doing too well either. Nobody has seen him except Steve, who doesn’t see him much. I don’t even know why I care, but I do. I care too much. That’s my problem.

Weird things have been happening. Tony’s been saying he feels like he has a hangover for a while. A few days ago, I was down in Tony’s workshop and he burnt his forearm with a blowtorch. I immediately felt some pain on my forearm. The pain subsided when he rubbed some aloe on it.

  
Today I woke up with pain in my leg. I went to stand up out of bed and collapsed on the floor. There’s nothing wrong with my leg. I hop on one foot out to the communal kitchen.

“Penny, are you ok?” Rhodey asks.

“I don’t know. My legs kills and I don’t know why…”

“Well, I have some bad news. Tony was in an accident and broke his leg.”

“What?” So now my leg hurts and his is broken. What is going on here?

“Yea he’s in the hospital. Hey. What’s the matter?”

“I need to go see him. Where’s Pepper?”

“Already there. Here let me take you.” Rhodey moves as fast as the braces let him to grab a set of car keys.  
Sam helps me to the car.

“You’ll be ok? Or do you want me to come?” He asks.

“I don’t care. You’re welcome to come if you want. I just have to get there.” I tell him.

Sam hesitates for a moment, then hops in the car beside me. “So what’s wrong with your leg?”

“I don’t know. I woke up around 7 today feeling fine. Then I fell back asleep and woke up again 20 minutes ago with my leg hurting. FRIDAY, can you do a scan of my leg? Does anything look wrong?”

“I’m sorry, Penny, but I can’t seem to find a problem.” The disembodied voice says after a few minutes.

“Thanks FRI, you’re the best.”

We get to the hospital, Sam half carrying me and Rhodey moving as fast as he could. Pepper is standing in the waiting room, waiting for us. She waves us over. “He’s in Room #102, awake. He’ll be glad to see you.”

We move into the room where Tony is sitting with the bed propped up. “Hey guys, what’s up?” He grins.

“Are you ok?” I ask him, leaving go of Sam and hopping over to him.

“Well my leg hurts like you wouldn’t believe, but other than that, I’m fine. My head doesn’t hurt anymore.” I realize my hangover is gone . “Are you ok?” He raises his eyebrows.

“I think so. My leg hurts, but there’s nothing wrong with it. Something weird’s been going on…” I explain to him how I noticed the pain things.

“Huh. That is weird. Can you give me my phone? I need to make a call.” When he gets his phone, he calls someone. “Hello? Hi Stephen. I’m at Jefferson Hospital on 45th. Could you come in? I’d like to talk about something. Thanks.”

An orange portal opens, and a goateed man walks through. “Tony. How are you? What’s up?”

“Stephen. This is Penny. And my fiancée, Pepper, and Rhodes and Sam Wilson. Guys, this is Dr. Stephen Strange, sorcerer of modern magic or whatevs. Can everyone but Penny step out, please?” When they do, he turns to Strange. “So Penny and I have noticed something weird. Whenever one of us is in pain, the other one feels it, too, just less so. Does this have to do with sorcery or whatever?”

Strange looks off in the distance for a minute, then says. “I’m going to bring someone else in. You remember Wong?” He gestures to the man who just came through another portal. “Wong meet Penny. Penny, Wong.”

Wong moves his hands to put a force field over us. “Do you see that glowing gold string? You are connected. Soulmates, some call it.”

“But. We don’t like each other that way…” I speak up.

“It does not have to be romantic. Some people’s are platonic. It makes no difference. And pardon me, but I was eating breakfast when I was summoned, so I must return.” He glares at Strange, then leaves through a portal.

“So that’s that. I’ll leave you to process it.” Strange leaves.

“Is that why people thought I had asthma for about 5 years? From you and the arc reactor?” I wonder. “Doctors were so confused to why I had trouble breathing at the weirdest times. Then it just went away, then came back- just not as bad.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nah. It’s fine. It was just a strange thing, I guess. I’m sorry for being hungover for three months straight.”

Tony grins. “That may have been the least amount of pain I’ve ever experienced. It was relaxing, honestly.”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” I ask.

“Come to think of it, probably not.”

I go out and bring the three back in. “Ok so what just happened?” Rhodes asks.

I point at Tony. “So apparently, we’re soulmates. And apparently, because everyone knows this, soulmates can be platonic. So we’re not dating.”

“So wait. Soulmates?” Sam rubs his face over his hands. “What...”

“So what does it mean?” Pepper asks.

“We share each others pain and stuff…. They weren’t very specific. That’s why my leg hurts me now, and Tone had a hangover for the past month or so. I don’t know- it’s weird.”

“Is this supposed to be like a secret thing, or…?” Sam asks.

“If you want to tell the team, I don’t care. It’s not like they can imply anything worse than they already are.”  
+++++++++++  
When Tony gets home from the hospital a week later with a huge cast and strict instructions to stay off the leg, we decide to tell everyone. Hey full disclosure, eh?

“So… you’re soulmates, but you’re not in love?” Wanda asks.

“That’s what the wizard dude said.” I reply.

“So wait! If you share each other’s pain and stuff, does that mean if the one’s getting intimate, will the other one know?” Clint asks, smirking. “Cuz that sounds a little messed up.”

Tony’s face scrunches up. “That’s disgusting Clint. I don’t think so. You’ve never felt…?” He turns to me.

“Nope.”

Steve’s face gets red, and he says. “Can we stop talking about that?”

“Sure, Rogers. No problem. How does fondue sound for dessert?” I ask as he gets even more red and splutters. Tony starts dying.

When Rogers leaves, Tony whispers to me, “You do realize what you just asked Cap.”

“Yea. It’s sad- I don’t think he’ll follow through.”

“You have a crush on Steve, now?” Rhodey asks, laughing.

“As if!” I exclaim like Cher from Clueless. This is the happiest I’ve been in a long time. But then, I look up and see James in the shadows, watching us, and my happiness goes right out the window. My eyes water and I get up. “Alright guys, I’ll see you at dinner. Gotta go.” I keep my voice steady. Wanda watches me, then looks over to the place where James was.  
+++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
So apparently Penny and Tony are soulmates. Whatever that means. And did Penny just ask Steve if he wanted to fondue later? Peggy told me about that.  
Oh crap, Penny saw me. I gotta leave.

Steve comes in an hour or so later and asks me, “What happened with Penny?”

I look at him expressionlessly. He asks again, “Seriously, what happened? I know something did because Wanda saw her glance at you, and then shut down and leave. I wanna help, why won’t you talk about it?”

I ignore him. Nothing good will come out of me telling him. He finally gives up and walks out of my room.  
++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
So now I need more vodka. I walk out to the kitchen to see what is there and find Rogers sitting at the table. He sits up straight when I walk in. “Penny. How are you?”

“Just peachy Rogers. Just peachy.”

“Can I ask you a question? Did something happen between you and Bucky? Wanda thought something was up, and he won’t tell me.”

“And you expect me to if your bestest friend won’t?”

“He’s moody, and I’d like to help him.”

“By what? Hearing the story, and then blaming me? You seem to do that well enough.”

“Why are you so defensive if it’s not your fault?”

I retort. “In your words, ‘It’s been a long day.’”

“Wanda thinks you caused Bucky and Nat to break up. And you’re upset because he rejected you, and he’s upset because she won’t take him back, and she’s upset at him for cheating on her, or whatever.” He says.

I laugh bitterly. Oh, if he knew the real truth. “And you think she’s correct? Why don’t you ask Nat?”

“Because she said she doesn’t want to talk about it. And I know better than to bug her when she’s angry.”

“Well, then. I don’t want to talk about it. And remember, the owner of this compound and his AI have my back. You might not wanna bug me either.” I walk away angrily, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet.

I wake up the next morning to a knock on the door. It’s Natasha. “What could you possibly want?” I ask her as I start to shut the door.

She blocks it with her thigh. “Please just let me in. I would like to talk to you.”

“Why am I such a masochist?” I think as I sigh and open the door, motioning for her to walk in.

She sits on my bed and I sit beside her. “I came to apologize.” She tells me. “After stewing for a week or two, I realized that none of it was your fault. FRIDAY showed me the clip of when you and Tony went over that memory. You had asked Bruce to leave. I’m sorry. I should’ve believed you. And now, Steve has almost the whole team thinking that you broke up Barnes and me, not the opposite. I can tell them the truth, if you’d like.”

Wait. She apologized? “Natasha, I… honestly don’t know what to say. What you did… it kind of ruined my life. I really, really loved, no love him, but I can’t take him back because he cheated on me! He broke my heart once, and I don’t think I could live if he did it again. As for telling the team, it’ll be my fault wither way to them, so if you don’t want to tell them, it doesn’t matter. It’s up to you. I highly doubt James will be wanting to recall it anytime soon.”

“I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just wanted tot let you know how sorry I am. I thought I was reading my cards right, but I failed so terribly. I will tell the team and try to make them see the truth. You are a good person, Penny. I wish I was more like you.”

“Thank you, Natasha. I will forgive you, just give me some time. But if you’ll excuse me, I kind of smell. I need a shower.” She nods and walks out.

I walk into the communal kitchen for breakfast when I see James in there. He sees me, nods, then basically runs out the other door. Steve sees this and his eyes narrow. “If you had no part in this whole thing, why would he run out like that?” He accuses me.

“I never said I didn’t have a part. It’s just not the part you’re thinking.” I say quietly.

“So what part did you play?” He asks.

“I’ll tell you.” Natasha says, walking in. “She and Barnes were already dating, when I noticed it. Now I blamed her for Bruce breaking up with me so I thought, ‘Why not ruin her life?’ So I seduced Bucky into sleeping with me and then made it seem like we were dating. I honestly don’t know why he kept it up, but I suspect it was to satisfy you, Steve, even though it was killing him to see how much he was hurting Penny. Finally, he broke up with me and was going to see if she would forgive him. So I played the part of the heartbroken lover until I realized she broke up with him. Then FRIDAY showed me what really happened and how much Penny suffered for that, and I realized I was wrong and how much I didn’t think it through rationally. I’m ashamed because I am supposed to be an expert in controlling emotion, and I utterly failed. I am so so sorry, Penny, and I don’t expect any forgiveness, and I will do all I can to make it right.”

Steve’s mouth opens and closes, but no words come out.

“It’s ok, Natasha. I’ll forgive you. And for making it better, it wasn’t all your fault. It was partly his, too. He obviously didn’t love me enough to stay true. Heck, maybe some of it was my fault. I wasn’t good enough for him. But I can’t be with someone who already broke my heart once. I’d probably die if it happened again.” I reply, being vulnerable around them for once.

A muffled cry comes from the outside of the room. Steve snaps to attention. “That was Bucky! You broke his heart, too, you know.”

“I know.” I hang my head. “But he’ll have to get over it as much as I have to. And he has you, right? His bestie. He can learn to deal.”

“I still think he deserves another chance.” Steve argues.

“And if it was your heart he broke, you’d get to make that decision. Unfortunately for you, it’s not your decision to make. And besides, I thought it was better that he wasn’t with me. Too much like Stark, right?” I leave the room at that.  
+++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
“He obviously didn’t love me enough to stay true. Heck, maybe some of it was my fault. I wasn’t good enough for him. But I can’t be with someone who already broke my heart once. I’d probably die if it happened again.” Penny’s voice comes from the kitchen.

I press my hand to my mouth to muffle my strangled cry. None of this was her fault. She was… perfect. I don’t even blame her for not giving me a second chance. I don’t deserve it. Now they’re all going to be mad at her for breaking my heart when I broke hers first. And it wasn’t her intention- she was just protecting herself. I run back up to my room.

Steve walks in a few minutes later. “Hey Buck. I’m sorry…”

“She was right, you know.” I rasp, my throat sore.

“Don’t say that. You deserve a second chance.”

“Steve. She’s protecting her own heart. I don’t blame her. What I did… was really crappy. It’s not her fault. At all. So don’t make her feel like it is.”

“Ok. I’ll try.” We sit in silence for a long while.  
+++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
Tony’s not allowed in his shop until his leg heals, which leaves him bored and annoyed. He opens his mouth to good-naturedly complain about something when I walk in, but straightens up when he sees my face. “Ellie? What’s the matter?”

I start to cry. “Tony. I don’t know what to do. Natasha just told everyone what really happened, yet it’s still my fault because I didn’t give James a second chance. Do you think I should?”

“It’s up to you,” He says. “It’s your heart that you’re putting on the line so only you can make the choice. It was a terribly crappy way to treat someone you claim to love, but I don’t know. I was never put in that position so I can’t even tell you what I’d do. And given your history, I can see why you’re against it. Go with your gut, ok? You’ll be fine. You know you’ve got me.” He pulls me in for a hug. I cling to him tightly. “And if you want me to,” He adds, “I can make James leave.”

“No. No. Don’t do that. Then it’ll be your fault to them. We’ll just have to learn to live around each other.”  
+++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
So a month or so has passed. They say time heals all wounds, but mine still feels like it’s gaping open. Penny and I have avoided each other for the most part, but there have been a few awkward run-ins. One was at an event when I had some random girl come up and kiss me on the lips. I was drunk… and, well, kissed her back. One can pretend, right? And she tried to look unbothered because she knows she has no right to be mad at me for that, but I could tell it hurt her. Man, I’m a jerk.

The team still treats her like dirt. Why can’t they see how amazing she is? If they keep it up, I might move out. Seriously.  
++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
Well, James has moved on. Clearly. Already has a date and it hasn’t been more than a month. Oh well, I broke up with him. I don’t have any pull over him now.

I can’t go on like this. All I am is a grain of sand for them to crush beneath their feet. I… don’t know if I can be here anymore.

Tony has offered me his Malibu house. “It’s been rebuilt, and I don’t think I’m ever going back. Unless Pepper wants to move back there, but I think there’s too many bad memories there. So if you want it, it’s yours.”

So after a run-in today with Clint and Wanda, I decide to move. “Tones,” I ask him, “Does your offer for your Malibu house still stand?”

He looks up, surprised. “Yea sure. Not that I’m pushing you to go… Why? What’s up?”

I shake my head. “I’m a weak coward. I can’t stay here anymore. I’m going to move there, if it’s ok, at least for a little while. I’ll be closer to Thor, and I don’t know, maybe the sunny beaches will do me some good.” I attempt a smile.

“If that’s what you want, sure. But you are not a weak coward. You’ve endured their persecution long enough, and if I wasn’t afraid of what they would do if they weren’t being supervised here, I’d make them leave. I’m sorry. And you know Pepper and I will come visit you. Rhodey, too.”

“Ok.” I hug him. “Thank you.”

“And I’m definitely gonna call, like, every day. I’ll miss you.”

“Same.” And with that, I make a beeline to my room to start packing. In the middle of my packing, Rhodey knocks on the door.

“Hey, Penny. I was gonna ask…” He stops when he sees what I’m doing. “What’s up?”

“I- I’m moving out.” I tell him. “Moving to California.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I just need a change in atmosphere. It’s probably not permanent. Feel free to visit anytime.”

“Does this have to do with Barnes? Has he been..?”

“No. He’s done nothing. It’s the others.”

He smacks my wall. “Mrghh! I’m going to kill them!”

“No. I’m just going to leave, ok? Let them think they won. I don’t even care. Maybe I’ll come back. Just…” I wave my hands helplessly, then sigh.

He stands there for a few minutes, then asks. “Want help?”

“Sure, why not?” I throw him a box and tell him to start on my shirts.  
+++++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
Well, today’s the day. I’m moving. Tony made sure the house was aired out for my arrival. He, Rhodey, and I start carrying boxes out to the quinjet.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Sam asks when I return in from setting a few boxes in the jet.

“I’m moving.”

“Wh- oh. I’m sorry. I’ve tried.”

I place a hand on his arm. “I know. I’ve decided to let them win. I surrender. I’m moving to Tony’s old house in Malibu. If you ever need a week off, just text me. Maybe I’ll let you vacation with me.” I wink at him.

He gives me a hug. “Well, best of luck. I’m sorry it ever had to come to this.”

“Thanks. Me too.”

“Hey Penny, that’s the last of your stuff.” Rhodey walks up.

“Thanks, Rhodey. I have a few goodbyes to make.”

I walk down to the lab where I tell DUME, U, and Butterfingers bye, smiling sadly when the bleep and wave their arms. Pepper took off work today to wish me off. She pulls me into a hug and tells me that she will kill any single one them single-handedly as soon as I gave the ok. I tell Natasha goodbye. We haven’t really been friends since she apologized but I figured I’d let her know I was leaving. Vision mourned that he no longer would have a cooking partner. Bruce gave me a hug and tried to apologize for the whole thing, but I told him it was not his fault and he better not apologize. He stopped and wished me luck. Tony was the hardest to tell bye because it’s hard to leave your best friend. And I knew it’d go back to being his fault when I left. He told me that he was going to call every day so we won’t really be that far away.

Alright. It’s time to go. I walk out to the quinjet when…  
+++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
Wait. Penny’s moving away? I thought I had been respectful of her and stayed away, but I at least knew how she was doing. Now, I’m going to go crazy worrying.

She just hugged Tony goodbye and is now walking to the quinjet. I drop to the ground behind her and call, “Penny!”  
+++++++++++++  
Penny’s POV  
“Penny!” That’s James. I hesitate, the turn around.  
“Penny. Please don’t move. I love you. I need you. Didn’t I give you space? I-I left you alone. What did I do?”

“It wasn’t anything you did, James. I just have to go.”

“But I need you…” He whispers brokenly.

Is there anyway for my heart to break again? I smile sadly, and put my hands on the sides of his face. “I’m sorry, James, but life isn’t some romcom. As much as I’d like it to be, it’s not. Some of us have to deal with reality.” I leave go and walk into the quinjet.

I sit there, sobbing, for a few minutes. Then I call Rhodey. “Hey, Rhodey, can you fly me to the house?” I sniff. “I don’t think I’m ok to fly by myself.”

In a few minutes Rhodey is in the quinjet. “Hey, Penny, you’re ok. You ready?” At my nod, he starts up the jet and lifts off.  
+++++++++++++++++  
Bucky’s POV  
“I’m sorry, James, but life isn’t some romcom. As much as I’d like it to be, it’s not. Some of us have to deal with reality.” At these words, my heart crumbles. I’m not sure I know how to feel anymore.

Why would she leave? It’s not like I was around, made her uncomfortable. Would… Did Steve make her feel unwanted? I turn on my heel and stalk back into the house. Not trusting my voice, I walk up to Steve and tap his shoulder.

“Bucky!” He looks happy that I’ve decided to talk to him.

“Steve. Why is Penny moving?”

“I don’t know, Buck. Why do you ask?”

“Because she’s upset, and she told me it’s not my fault. Do you know what happened?” My voice hardens as I say the last sentence.

“No Buck. I’m sorry. I didn’t even know she was moving.” I think he’s telling the truth. Maybe I’ll ask someone who does.

So I ask Tony, who sighs, and says, “Listen, I don’t know what she would want you to know. I honestly don’t know what you know about the past month or so. She, uh, got blamed for most of the whole incident because she didn’t give you a second chance. Truth is, she hasn’t been in many relationships before you. The first one lasted about a month before he told her he wasn’t feeling it anymore. The second one, the guy cheated on her and when she confronted him about it, he went on a big spiel on why he cheated on her and what was wrong with her and what she should change about herself if she wanted him to stay true. The third one, he cheated on her, then broke up with her, using the lousy ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ line. Then the last one, if you want to call it a relationship, was with me when we went on a date, I realized I was still in love with Pepper and she realized it too. She was content with being my best friend. She doesn’t ask for much, she just asks that you be upfront with her. And you weren’t. And I guess things got a little tense between her and whoever, so she decided that it would be best for her to leave. So she’s gone. I don’t know if she’s coming back or not, but it’s her choice.”

I growl. “Steve told me he didn’t know why she left.”

“Steve wasn’t as bad as the others, surprisingly. I’m thinking you had something to do with that. I don’t know, Barnes, you would’ve been great for her, if you hadn’t messed up.”

“Yea, I regret that every day. Thank you for explaining, Tony. I’ll go now. Sorry for bothering you.” I retreat out of his shop to find Steve.

“So you wanna know why she left, Steve? Because you all were jerks to her. It. Was. Not. Her. Fault. Now,” My breath catches in my throat, “Now, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. She…” I put my head in my hands.

“I know it sucks right now, Buck, but maybe its for the better. Maybe you’ll heal now that she’s not always around. And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a jerk to her. I tried my hardest to be nice to her. I really did. If she chose not to give you another chance, that’s her choice. I realize that. I might disagree, but it’s her choice, not mine. I mostly left her alone and stayed out of conversations concerning her.” Steve puts his hand on my shoulder. “You can get through it.”

“But what if I don’t want to?” I whisper.

 


End file.
